The Nuneaton-born frontman, who now works at former club Walsall as a coach, admits his time at the City Ground was laden with frustration and disappointment that he couldn’t fulfil the promise he’d showed following his arrival from Hull City under then boss Stuart Pearce.

Matty Fryatt against Leeds, December 2014

“I can never show to Nottingham Forest the player I was capable of being because I spent so much time injured,” said Fryatt in an interview with Planet Football.

“The period I had out was so long that in some ways I was glad it was done, even though it was tinged with massive disappointment and all-round frustration.”

Having moved from Hull, Fryatt made 26 appearances for Pearce’s Forest, scoring six times but picked up his injury in a 3-1 home defeat to Birmingham over Christmas, which initially kept him out for a month – one that at the time, appeared fairly inconspicuous.

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“I remember coming off the pitch against Birmingham. I was just literally jogging back to the halfway line and feeling in discomfort. Nothing more than that,” he explained.

“Next time I went to train I was unable to run. I was on painkillers for several months to try to get through games but I wasn’t at all right.

“I was struggling to get by. I wasn’t training, I was just turning up for the games and trying to manage the injury in the week. Hoping that the pain would go away, but it didn’t.

Philippe Montanier speaks to the press for the final time before leaving Forest after a draw at Birmingham City (Image: Mark Fear)

“It was just too much in the end. I was still having issues in the Achilles but persevering. On top of that you have too much pain from training day-to-day. My body wasn’t allowing me to do what I could do before.”

As he continued his attempted recovery, which saw him travel all over in a bid to cure the debilitating problem, Fryatt was rarely at the Nigel Doughty Academy, and because of that, admits he never got to meet Frenchman Philippe Montanier, following his appointment as manager in the summer of 2016.

“I didn’t have too much contact with the first team, or even being in at the club. I went through a period of time where Philippe Montanier was in charge and I never once saw him because I wasn’t in the building.

Matty Fryatt had been training with Burton and featured for the Brewers in pre-season

“They had me away from the club doing bits and pieces so obviously you get isolated. But I suppose it would be difficult being around it every single day, too.

“Injuries are hard. They’re the worst thing for a footballer because you want to be out there doing it. Knowing that you can’t is frustrating.

"You’ve got to be strong-willed and think that you’re going to get back. You’ve got to keep pushing yourself.